thriller
Americannoun
-
a person or thing that thrills.
-
an exciting, suspenseful play or story, especially a mystery story.
noun
-
a book, film, play, etc, depicting crime, mystery, or espionage in an atmosphere of excitement and suspense
-
a person or thing that thrills
Discover More
In Great Britain, the word thriller is sometimes used for all mystery novels: “Martha Grimes, an American, writes British-style thrillers.”
Etymology
Origin of thriller
1885–90; 1920–25 thriller for def. 2; thrill + -er 1
Explanation
A thriller is a suspenseful movie, TV show, book, or play. If you love thrillers, you probably enjoy mysterious plots, suspicious characters, and being on the edge of your seat. Thrillers are known for being exciting and sometimes scary, evoking emotions like anticipation, fear, and suspense. They tend to use plot twists and cliffhangers to keep an audience or reader intrigued, and they often feature a villain. The literary label thriller first appeared in the late 1800s, from the verb thrill, "give a shivering, excited feeling."
Vocabulary lists containing thriller
Literary Genres - Introductory
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Literary Genres - Advanced
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Reading: Literature - Literary Genres - Middle School
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The thriller stars Sam Worthington as David Burroughs, an imprisoned father wrongfully convicted of murdering his son.
From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2026
Reich cited Christopher Nolan's upcoming ancient Greek action movie "Odyssey" and Steven Spielberg's science-fiction thriller "Disclosure Day" as possible Cannes films.
From Barron's • May 11, 2026
Some scenes for the Rocky Horror Picture Show were recorded at the studios in 1974 and Ridley Scott built and shot the miniatures for his Academy Award winning sci-fi thriller Alien there in 1978.
From BBC • May 9, 2026
He penned the entirety of both seasons of the spy thriller “Lioness,” plus the first season of “Mayor of Kingstown.”
From MarketWatch • May 5, 2026
She was also the technical advisor for the upcoming spy thriller Queen and Country, which is why the team was at Pinewood Studios just outside of London in the town of Iver Heath.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
